A business school is everything but a hitchhikers’ training place. Its main objective is to train tomorrow’s business leaders and decision-makers and prepare them for the work environment. But Ludovic Hubler from Alsace in France, a graduate of Strasbourg Business School, chose to break with the traditional educational mould and do things differently…
When he obtained his Master’s Degree at the age of 24, he believed that discovering the realities of the world was a necessary prelude to embarking on a professional career. That’s why on 1st January, 2003, he started off on a ‘tour of mankind’ that he likes to call his “Life PhD“.
His adventure lasted five years, during which he traveled the world solely by means of hitch-hiking in every conceivable form. From “boat-hitching” across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to “ice-breaker hitching” to reach Antarctica, to crossing the Sahara desert or passing through countries such as Colombia and Afghanistan, Ludovic put his thumb to the test in all imaginable situations.
His experiences and meetings were vast and varied. Among the most outstanding, the Dalai Lama received him at his home in Dharamsala in India, but equally interesting were the thousands of students from all walks of life with whom Ludovic shared his adventures on the road.
A total of 5 years travelled, spanning 106,000 miles and 59 countries, hundreds of lectures given and lifts from more than 1,300 people received, give an idea of the extent and richness of the journey. More than recounting an extreme feat, this book traces an extraordinary human adventure where you’re transported by the wind of freedom.
“The world by hitchhiking” won several awards, among which the “Prix Pierre Loti” recognizing the best travel book in France of 2010. This book was translated in numerous languages among which English, Korean and Arabic.
Ludovic is the founder of TRAVEL WITH A MISSION. He now lives in the south-east of France, between Nice and Monaco.